The USS Mason, with allied ships and associated aircraft from a counter-piracy task force that operates as part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), responded to a distress call from the M/V Central Park, the US military said.

The multinational crew of an Israel-linked commercial vessel that was seized by armed individuals off the coast of Yemen on November 26 has been brought to safety, US defense officials said.

The CMF is a 38-nation partnership that upholds security on the high seas.

The USS Mason is part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group, dispatched to the region October 14 following Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel.

In its November 26 distress call, the Central Park said it was under attack by an unknown entity, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on X.

A US defense official told AFP there were indications that "an unknown number of unidentified armed individuals" seized the Central Park in the Gulf of Aden.

Upon their arrival at the scene, members of the CMF counter-piracy task force (151) demanded release of the vessel, CENTCOM said.

"Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat," it added. "The Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender."

The crew of the Central Park is currently safe, it said.

It was not immediately clear where the vessel was, or if the crew remained aboard.

As the USS Mason was concluding its response to the Central Park distress call, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen toward the general location of the two vessels, CENTCOM said.

"The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately 10 nautical miles from the ships," it said.

There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident.

Maritime security

"US naval forces are engaged in the situation" after the incident involving the Central Park, which is owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company, maritime security firm Ambrey said.

Owner Zodiac Maritime said that among the 22 crew were Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Philippine nationals, as well as a Turkish captain, according to Ambrey.

The Houthis had previously threatened to attack the tanker if it did not divert to the port of al-Hodeidah, which the Iran-backed group controls, it said.

The boarding took place offshore from the port city of Aden, where Yemen's legitimate government is based after being forced out of Sanaa following the Houthis' coup of September 2014.

Another vessel in the area reported "an approach by eight persons on two skiffs wearing military uniforms," Ambrey said.

"We would like to thank the coalition forces who responded quickly, protecting assets in the area and upholding international maritime law," Janni Järvinen, a crisis manager representing Zodiac, wrote in an email to the Washington Post.

The Central Park had been transiting a shipping route in the Gulf of Aden, which in the past has been a hub of pirate activity, when it sent the distress call, Järvinen told the newspaper.

The Liberian-flagged ship was transporting phosphoric acid, he said.

"Maritime domain security is essential to regional stability," said CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla. "We will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure the safety and security of international shipping lanes."

String of attacks

The latest incident comes after an Israeli-owned cargo ship was on November 24 damaged in a suspected drone attack by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Indian Ocean, a US defense official said November 25.

"We are aware of reports that there was a suspected IRGC-initiated Shahed-136 UAV (that) struck a civilian motor vessel in the Indian Ocean," the official said.

"The ship incurred minor damage" and there were "no injuries," the official said.

Ambrey said the Malta-flagged, French-operated container ship was reportedly damaged when the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) exploded close to it.

"The vessel was managed by an Israeli-affiliated company, which was assessed to be the reason why it was targeted," Ambrey said.

In the days before the attack, the ship's tracking transmissions had stopped shortly after departing port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it added.

In a separate incident on November 24, Ambrey said, the Houthis cautioned a tanker southwest of al-Hodeidah "to change course and warned that an attack would follow if they did not follow the instructions."

The security firm said the warning was issued several times, adding it is "likely a Houthi operation is imminent."

The latest incidents come almost a week after the Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.

The Houthis, declaring themselves part of the so-called "axis of resistance" of Iran-affiliated groups, have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel since Hamas staged its October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.